I am a proud Canadian living south of the border in Cancun, Mexico. I left the snow behind for the sand, and am learning to love my new life!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Why Telcel, WHY??

I have often heard many people complain about their telephone, cable, and anything else company in Mexico. Well.... I now have to chime in on my nightmare with Telcel. So let's read about a little game called "How long will it take to get Lauren her phone"? Any guesses???

Okay, so 2 full weeks ago I walked into Telcel with my Suegro and Esposo to get me a nice little Blackberry. We wait in a line at Gran Plaza Cancun for 1 1/2 hours, and we finally get some help. Nice guy tells me "Oh we have the perfect promotion for you, $400MXN/month and you get a great plan and free Blackberry". GREAT - sign me up! This process takes almost 30 minutes more. Why? I don't know, but heck this is Mexico and I know everything takes a little longer... DONE. Guy tells me to come back tomorrow as they don't have the phone, and it will take a day to set up. Okay that I can live with....

Next day... we go into Telcel and wait in line again. Only about 30 minutes this time, and we are told NO, it's not ready yet. Come back tomorrow. On a Sunday we ask? Ohhh yes as we will have the phone by the end of today, so tomorrow you just need to come and get it.

Okay, 3rd day. We are told it's not ready again, and that since tomorrow is a holiday it will be ready on Tuesday.

Tuesday we get a suprising phone call from a nice lady from TelHELL. Lady tells husband that there was a mistake and that I can't get my phone. Husband asks why? Lady explains - it's a student plan, and clearly your wife is not a student. Husband asks why guy sold us this plan then? Lady responds...."We can't expect all of our staff to know all of our products". WHAT!!! Ohh, no, you are right because what would be the good in that? They are only SELLING it and all....So we tell lady we don't want it then. The End. Right? Wrong.

A week later, yesterday, we get a call from Telcel. Oh it was our mistake and since your phone is ready we will honor the plan. Are you kidding me? Am I back in Canada!!??!! So we thank her, thank her, thank her. Lady gives us a confirmation #, and tells us to go and pick up the phone. We go to Telcel last night around 6:30, wait in a line...again. Lady at counter asks why we're there, we explain to pick up a NEW phone. Lady takes 5 minutes with our information then comes back to tell us "sorry, no new phone pickups after 6". Are you kidding me? You didn't know this 5 minutes ago when we told you that's exactly why we are here?

Okay, so that brings us to today. My suegro goes to pick up my phone on his way home from the office. He comes home - NO phone. We ask why? SORRY because you are not a student we can not give you that plan. WHAT THE FUCK!!!??!!!

Okay, sorry guys I usually keep the swearing to myself, but SERIOUSLY????? So, 2 weeks and no phone, and no plan.

Refried - it is an on-going nightmare!!! We are going to try again this week. Have a primo in school, so we'll try and sign it up as his. They deserve it for all the time I've spent having to go back and forth! Yes, stupid people!!! Thanks, I'll write about it when I actually get it!

Leslie - ohhh....isnt' it terrible that this isn't a "one off". This is happening to ppl all over Mexico! LOL!! I mean it's not life or death, but come on customer service!!! Thank you!

Moises - I know...but are they really? My hubby has a telhell and a Nextel. He has no problems with the tel, but with Nex his blackberry keeps freezing! It's only a month old!!!

GringanMx - Why, why , why!!?? I just don't understand this place sometimes!! Also, why don't they have the technology to hook the line up on the spot? I've never heard of such a thing!! Okay, so 3 weeks will be this Friday. I'll let you know if I get it! LOL!!!

Gringation - the word is now yours!! LOL!! Feel free to spread the word!!! Maybe it will get so big they'll actually hear about it, and do something about their customer/client service!!!

Ohhh.... like have more than 2 ppl working at a time? Hooking up phone lines on the spot? Staff that knows what packages they really have?? I could go on and on... Yes, write about yours!!! NO communication at all, and the lady that keeps calling us doesn't give us her number, or name. Next time I'm going to ask for it!!

I live in a little village an hour southwest of Playa. I wanted to change my Telcel phone from paying per minute to paying per call. This village has no phone lines, no cable, and my Movistar phone does not get a signal. So Telcel is the only game in town. They told me they had to send someone to verify that the address I gave them exists. Why? No plan...prepay. Go figure. Two weeks later I was approved. However they never told me I had to call to activate it. Finally I called to check and they told me it was my last day to activate it! All worked out but it was chaos.

I noticed that near the end of your ordeal you received a call from Telcel which implies that you had at least one phone already. if that assumption is true then why did you waste so much time going down to the telcel place early on in your adventure? Why didn't you just get the phone number for the manager there and call in your inquires regarding the state of your phone? I am with you about the waiting part though. I am an old guy with bad knees and stood on an empty line ..ie i was the only one waiting ... for half an hour while the three agents helped people they were with. One of the agents after completing her customer order looked at me then proceeded to walk away from her station and then go upstairs. She returned with a cup of coffee and left the service area without as much as a glance at me. At this point i decided to speak up and asked sarcastically would I be seen today.I was told I had to wait my turn, I told them my bum knee was getting pretty painful. They said I could take a seat which i did. Then three other people came in and formed a line and when the lady with the coffee returned she summoned the first person on the line. i proceeded straight to my veteran New York city resident outrage performance and was finally serviced by a pleasant male representative who sold me a pre-paid Sim for my unlocked Motorola global phone and also an inexpensive prepaid phone for my wife. So although i can identify with your complaints about the wait I can honestly say the service was very good.